BWANTON] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 147 



Witch people of Cumshewa and father of my interj)reter. A second version is 

 appended. This was obtained in English by Prof. Franz Boas from Charlie Eden- 

 shaw, chief of the great Masset family St A^stas. He spent his earlier years at Skide- 

 gate, so I am not certain whether it is more like the story as told at Skidegate or as 

 told at Masset. I am inclined to think, however, that it approaches the form in 

 which it was told by the people of Rose si)it. While at Masset I secured several 

 additional texts l)earing on events in the life of Raven, some of them differing con- 

 Hideral)ly from the above. An abstract of these texts will be found on pages 207-211 

 of volume v, part 1, of the Memoirs of the Jcsup North Pacific Expedition. On 

 pages 233-288 of the same memoir will be found two sections of the story obtained 

 from two old Kaigani. They probably contain much of the Tlingit Raven story. 

 Finally, it nuist be stated that Raven is brought forward to explain so many local 

 phenomena that an absolutely complete Raven story is neither practicable nor 

 necessary. 



' That is, the Queen Charlotte group. 



^Probably belonging to the Actinozoa. 



*The princij)al family of Cumshewa. 



*The proper habitat or dwelling of a human or supernatural being is described in 

 Haida by this word tcia. 



^Rock from her hi[)s down. 



"That is, he could get along just as well under water as in the air. 



' The black pebble was to be placed in the water first, then the si)eckled one. A 

 piece of each was to be bitten off and spit upon the remainder. 



^Literally, "One-lying-seaward," or "Seaward-land." 



"By Ldjin the Haida understand the coast of Briti.sh Columbia from the borders 

 of the Tsimshian southward indefinitely. The people living along it, be they Kwa- 

 kiutl, Nootka, or Salish, are all called Ldjin xa'-idAga-i (Ldjin-people). Djifi = 

 ' ' far. ' ' 



'"A version of this episode obtained by Professor Boas runs as follows: "On his 

 travels NAuki'lsLas saw a large salmon (tiVun). He said to him, 'Come nearer. 

 Jump against my chest.' He did so, and NAiiki^lsLas almost fainted. Then he 

 made a hole in the rock. He called the salmon a second time, asking him to jump 

 against his chest. The salmon did so and finally fell into the hole." 



" Len are joyful songs, usually containing Tsimshian, but more often sung in the 

 houses than out of doors. 



'- Djifi'djat (jagA'n, lit. " Women's songs," were employed particularly when totem 

 poles and house timbers were towed in during a potlatch. 



'•'' According to the best informed this was Bentinck arm, perhaps South Bentinck 

 arm, in the Bella Coola country, and this would agree with Dawson's statement that 

 the Bella Coola are called Ilghi^mi by the Tsimshian. 



'* Probably the same as tco''lgi, a mainland animal like a mink, if not that animal 

 itself. 



'^That is, toward the Queen Charlotte islands. 



'"The word used for "Eagle" here is sLg.A^m, a story name. It is evidently 

 identical with sLqA^ni, the Masset word for "butterfly." Among the Masset Haida, 

 Buttertiy takes the place of Eagle as Raven's traveling companion. 



" An exclamation of warning. 



^* Here there is repetition. The great lake formed In' the last fresh water poured 

 out was at the head of Skeena river. 



^*The derivation of this word is uncertain. 



^'^The story name of the marten, Klux.ugina'gits, is here used. The common 

 name is klu^x.u. 



